The pleasure of organization

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
26 June 2012
0

A few days ago, I decided I had enough with my email.  With over 12,000 unread messages, it was way too overwhelming to handle.  What really tipped it over was the excessive spam messages that had started to make their way into my inbox.  Perhaps my account started to get corrupted after all these years – I’ve had this same address for at least ten years now.  Whatever the reason, with problems running rampant in the legacy account, I decided it was time for a change.

I got a brand new inbox and set my primary email to direct to it (the spam was going to my old Yahoo email, so I figured a new one would help eliminate the issue).  I have an email associated with this domain that I use for just about everything now and that one hasn’t had spam problems.  I then went through some of the newsletters and notification emails I get that I don’t usually have time for.  Some I unsubscribed from and others I directed to the original Yahoo account to help cut down on clutter in the new inbox.

automatic organizer aka otherinbox for yahoo mailI was pretty happy with this fresh start, but then I noticed something in my email account that I had never looked at before: Organizer.  It’s an app that works with my Yahoo account, helping me sort my emails by sender as they come in.  There are folders for categories like Finance, Shopping, and Social Media.  They basically set up a bunch of filters by default, to ensure that my main inbox stays clean.  I can check the other folders at my leisure and move messages around to fit my needs.  Each day, they send a summary email detailing what they filed away, highlighting things like offers and shipping info (if I had any tracking info sent to me).  I don’t really read that and just go through the folders myself, but I can see how it would be handy.

Now I have a refreshingly empty inbox and my daily intake of messages is something I can easily handle.  No more overwhelming feeling, no more dread at picking through the unimportant mail to find what I might actually still want to read.  Granted, I still have that 12k of unread messages waiting for me in the other account, but at least I can tackle that with more confidence when I have some time (and patience).  I put Organizer to work on that one too, so about half the messages got filed away into categories I can look into one at a time.  I’m so happy to be able to breathe a sigh of relief at this organizational nightmare!  We’ll see how many more years it takes before things pile up too much again…

Impatient inspiration

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
22 June 2012
0

My tag line for this blog is “when inspiration won’t wait” and really, when does it ever wait?  I’ve found that I tend to do my best work and get the most ideas around 2 in the morning.  This is most unfortunate for my attempts at sleeping a “normal” schedule – instead I find myself furiously working away until 4 or 5, at which point I realize it is horribly late/early and I really should rest.  In fact, this blog post is being written at 2 am because I can’t sleep and there are just too many ideas bouncing around in my head.  Too bad I can’t hold off on my inspirational ideas and make them fit my desired schedule!

Initially I was hopeful for an earlier night when I got tired at 12:30.  Immediately, I put my things away and laid down in bed.  Unfortunately it seems that by that time the fleeting yawning had passed and I was alert again.  So, here I am typing out a blog post as most of the country snoozes away, unaware of my woes.  I remember in my childhood, I always thought falling asleep was a difficult thing because I’d lay in bed for an hour each night trying to doze.  As I got into high school, it became apparent that I just wasn’t tired enough before; sleep was actually easy to achieve when I laid down at night, probably because I rarely got enough.  I’ve learned that I need to tire myself out before I can fall asleep, so I don’t usually bother trying to sleep until I’m ready.  If I do, I end up tossing and turning (and thinking) for at least an hour before my mind can settle.

I guess when it’s dark and there’s nothing to look at or listen to, thoughts come easier.  This is why I like to keep a notepad by my bedside – you never know when a great idea will hit just as you’re drifting off to la la land.  I like to be able to capture it on paper before it slips away and becomes one of those “what was that great idea I had?” moments.  Hopefully now that this is all out, I can clear my mind enough to get to sleep now.

Foodie identity

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
19 June 2012
0

Ever since this term “foodie” entered my vocabulary, I’d wondered about it.  I saw the people who loved to go out and eat at nice places, with small portions and beautiful presentation styles and weird ingredients.  You know, those who get dubbed experts in this and that and usually end up becoming food critics, whether professionally or as a hobby.  There were food shows abound, from the traditional cooking shows to the reality/competition shows.  I’d watch as they consumed all manner of things that I was not interested in trying, and wonder if that’s what made a foodie.  You’d eat just about anything so you wouldn’t miss out on the amazing variety available.  Oh, and of course everyone was a sucker for a wine or cheese tasting.

Then “foodie” things on the internet caught my attention, like Yelp and Foodspotting.  So then I thought, “Ok, maybe being a foodie means you try all kinds of places and review them and/or post up pictures (preferably artistic) of the food you ate.”  Maybe foodies were a middle-class food critic of sorts.  Sometimes hitting the high-end places, but usually going to accessible restaurants and reflecting on the taste of the dishes ordered and the level of service provided.  Or maybe it’s the people who almost seem to enjoy turning an image of the food into artwork more than eating the food itself.  Oh!  OR, could it be that it was those people who would find that one gem in the strangest of places, that has the best [fill in food type] in the area.

Yeah, I was pretty confused by this so-called identity of being a foodie, since I love food, eat a lot of it, and have a pretty diverse palette.  But I just didn’t connect with what it seemed “being a foodie” entailed.  My friends would probably consider me to be a foodie, but what does it really mean?  I never really cared for being like those other people – the ones who paired wines with their meals and got dishes barely big enough for one bite.  I also didn’t feel like the type to sit around over-analyzing the food or turn it into a creative thing.  Was a a different class of foodie?  Was I even in the category of foodie?

So, I decided it was time to look it up.  Unfortunately, much like the term “hipster,” I’m still struggling to really grasp what people mean by the term.  On Wikipedia, I found a helpful blurb to let me know that the fancy schmancy people I was thinking of are considered “gourmets.”  At least I can rule out my first impression of what foodie could mean.

“…foodies differ from gourmets in that gourmets are epicures of refined taste, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news…”  ~Wikipedia

I am an amateur and I love food for consumption.  However, I don’t really study it or prepare it, or study the preparation of it.  Apparently foodies can really get into restaurant openings, cooking classes, and (surprise) wine tastings or beer samplings.  I’m not really into those things, though I would consider trying them at some point.  You know what, I’ve figured it out.  I’m just a plain old food lover.  I don’t get crazy about the details of food; I basically like to enjoy tastes.  Still, I like sites like Yelp and Foodspotting, since they allow me to discover great places to eat at, so maybe there’s a little foodie in me.

Surf’s up (finally)

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , ,
14 June 2012
0

Today I got around to learning how to surf after talking about it for the last 10 years. Wow, how did that happen?! Time sure does go by fast. Luckily, there are still plenty of years left for me to continue to try surfing. As for this first try, I joined two other girls for a group lesson in the morning. Panda stayed in shore to watch and take pictures for me.

It was extremely busy at Waikiki Beach, but Erik our instructor showed us the “sidewalk” that you paddle up, which is sort of a safe zone to the right of most of the surfing action. If you head up that channel, it’s pretty safe. Once you get far enough in (there were visual cues for us to line up to make sure we were positioned correctly), you’d wait in the “parking lot,” staying aware of your surroundings so you don’t run into anyone who may be coming in on a swell. When the coast was clear, we’d paddle towards Erik and he’d send us off on a wave.

We had practiced how to get up on the board back in the shop, ensuring we could keep a strong stance and maintain our balance. While the sensation of this force pushing you from underneath and behind was strange, it was relatively easy to get up and not flail around.

My first wave was a short ride and as I tried to get back on my hands and knees for greater stability, I fell over into the water. The second attempt wasn’t much better – my timing was a bit off. But by the third try, I was able to catch a wave almost all the way back to shore! On my way back I had one mishap where I wasn’t straight enough heading into a wave so I got turned around right next to a guy surfing. Thankfully, he was an instructor, so he was incredibly skilled at keeping us from colliding. Other than that, I was pretty proud of how well I was able to avoid any accidents, even getting out of the way of a fast-moving outrigger canoe (if you never had one charging at you before, it can be intimidating).

For some reason, my breastbone feels bruised from the experience. At first I thought that it was due to my bathing suit, but I just had a soft string there, no knots or pieces of plastic to dig into the flesh. Long after I got out, it was still hurting too. I thought I’d be more sore since I was feeling it getting out of the water, but I feel good so far. My triceps hadn’t gotten that kind of workout in awhile! I’d expected paddling to be easier than it was since I’m a good swimmer, but boy did I feel weak and inefficient.

Ultimately I’m so glad I finally took a surfing lesson and I can’t wait to try in the California coast sometime. Hopefully next time, Panda will be confident enough to join me.

Idleness

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
09 June 2012
1

In this day and age, idleness is often seen as the enemy. We push forward at breakneck speeds and look down on people who aren’t insanely busy. “Oh, they must be lazy,” we think, passing judgement on their life. It’s pretty crazy when people feel proud that they’re sleep-deprived or brag about the long hours of hard work they put in.

Somehow being overworked and over-stretched is regarded as being more productive. Rather than balancing our lives, work (including schoolwork) tends to take over. I know this feeling – I’ve studied all through the night and stayed way past dinnertime at work. Both of these situations made me feel like I was working “hard enough” and anything less made me question my dedication, drive, or industriousness. If I didn’t work hard enough, I felt like people would judge me.

Now that I am working on my own ventures, I constantly struggle with self-judgement. Am I ever working hard enough? Should I be sleeping less? Should I be more stressed? While I’m at home letting the hours go by as I sit in front of my laptop, others are doing the daily grind. Wake up early, drive to work half asleep, zombie through the morning, grab a quick lunch, struggle through the afternoon, finally call it a day, drive home in rush hour, chomp down some dinner, take care of personal chores, and crash before it’s too late to get a decent night’s sleep.

Meanwhile, here I am sleeping whenever I get tired, waking whenever my body says so, and lounging around all day snacking and spending time online. Am I wasting my days away? Do I need more structure? It’s hard to say. Based on societal norms, yes, I should be busier. But who’s to say that those norms aren’t horribly skewed?

After all, being idle has many benefits:
1. You get a chance to recoup so you can be more, next time
2. It’s better for your creativity and allows space for free-flowing thoughts
3. You finally start to notice the world around you (and hopefully appreciate it too)

People meditate or go on retreats for these very reasons. I really think a certain amount of idleness in our lives can really enhance our quality of life. It’s the whole “stop and smell the roses” concept and it’s good for your health too. Why should a bit of peace in our lives be a coveted gem instead of an accepted norm?

As for me, I’m still looking for a better balance between nothing and too much something. The difficult part is differentiating what is work and what is not. Much of what I do is of personal interest, but enhances my knowledge and ability to improve on the businesses too. It doesn’t feel like work, so I often forget to count it. I’m just fortunate to have this kind of flexibility to adjust my workload if I do find it to be too much or too little. If only the American culture didn’t emphasize work-work-work-stress-work so much. Maybe we’d be a happier bunch.

Why I wear dresses

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
06 June 2012
4

I’m not a “girly girl” and am generally pretty low-maintenance.  You’ll usually find me lounging around in soft, loose clothing.  I don’t do my hair, makeup, or whatever else most women seem to do ritualistically every morning.  I much prefer to get extra sleep than to spend hours primping myself.  So, I guess it is because of this that my friends find it particularly shocking when I go out in a dress.  I don’t think this is a big deal, but apparently dresses look more dressed up.  The real reason I wear dresses is actually due to convenience/laziness.

You see, getting dressed couldn’t possibly be easier than throwing on a dress.  Once again, I opt for comfortable ones that are usually soft (sometimes silky too) and loose.  I mean, I don’t go around in moo-moos, but I get ones that offer free range of motion.  Whenever I need to throw something on and I can’t figure out if I should wear this shirt or those jeans, it’s easy to turn to a dress!  After all, it’s only one item to worry about as compared to two and there certainly is no concern about whether it “matches” or whatever.  Plus, there is no waistline to constrict you if you eat a little too much.  😉

I’m surprised that dresses are considered fancier than shirts and pants, if only because they offer casual wearing options without the fuss of mixing and matching.  I guess part of it is because they are classified as feminine garments and part of it is because they tend to have fancier designs.  Still, with a simple black cotton dress that has absolutely no frills, I still get comments and questions about how dressed up I am.  When my friends see me in a dress, they can’t help but wonder if there is some sort of special event I am attending.

Well, I’m here to set the record straight.  While I do wear dresses to special occasions, usually I just do it because it requires less thinking to throw on a one-piece and walk out the door than to try to figure out which shade of jeans goes with which color/design of shirt.  That’s all it is!

The emotion of driving

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , ,
02 June 2012
0

Lately I’ve really noticed how much feeling and emotion is tied to driving.  I’ve been going around town in a 1999 Camry speckled with water spots and covered in dust and it has made me self-conscious in a way I’m usually not.  I’m afraid of other drivers looking over and noticing how dirty the windows are and judging me for it.  There’s something about a dirty car that makes me feel bad about myself, probably because it’s obvious that I haven’t taken care of the vehicle lately.

You see, the car has been sitting on our driveway in the sun, next to the sprinklers, and under a tree for ages.  In that time, it has suffered stains from getting sprayed every day by the sprinklers, getting beat down on by the sun, and getting particles falling from the tree.  The tree’s branches were so overgrown that they were scraping against the car.  Not exactly the best conditions for storing a vehicle!  I kept telling myself that I would wash the car one day when it wasn’t too hot out, but I kept putting it off.

Now that I was driving the car, I wondered what people thought of my old, beat up car as they drove by in their shiny sports cars and SUVs.  Were they wondering why this car was so filthy?  Were they trying to get a glimpse at me to see what kind of person would drive this car?  Who knows if they even cared, but I felt like they noticed.  After I got the car washed a few days ago, I immediately felt better about driving it around.  Now it was just an older model car – not some dirty or run down piece of junk.

This whole experience was in total contrast to the feeling I got driving my family’s Lexus.  Not only does it drive better, but it’s not subjected to various weather conditions.  When I drove long distances, I would take that car, and it would always boost my morale.  I felt better because it was clean, because it is a good brand, and because it handles really well.  Sitting in it is more comfortable both physically and emotionally.  While I had felt a difference driving this car vs. the Camry in previous years, it was never so apparent as when the Camry was also much more dirty.

It’s funny how we let something like this affect our internal well-being so much.  But I guess it’s just how our culture runs – when we have nice things, we feel better (to a certain extent).  Not just because other people see that we have these nice things, but also because they are designed to make us feel good.  Makeup can make people feel more beautiful, titles can make people feel more powerful, and cars can make people feel more in control or affluent.  Americans in particular seem to love to express themselves via their cars, so there’s an even higher value for them in this culture.  I never really realized I was so affected by these things too.

DeckMyPhone goes international

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
30 May 2012
0

I’ve been working on multiple avenues to get my site out there and today I decided to try Pinterest.  I had recently seen this infographic on how great Pinterest is for driving online sales.  It’s been proven to be a very effective way for e commerce sites to boost sales and I was having no luck with my eBay and Craigslist postings.  Within minutes of pinning an image from my site, I had gotten my first online sale!  I was pretty shocked to find it was some random guy in Denmark, but hey, that just goes to show the power of Pinterest.

breakdown of traffic to deckmyphone.com by country on may 30, 2012Check out the international reach I got from one little pin on the site!  It’s pretty exciting to see that people outside of the US were checking out my site.  Over the next couple of days, I’ll be pinning up all the different colors offered to further expand my reach.  I’ll also be standing in line at the post office to ship off this iPhone cover!  I was pretty shocked at the long line I encountered there this afternoon, when I was in a rush to get somewhere.  Tomorrow morning I’ll have all the time in the world to take care of this order though, and I’m pretty excited.  🙂  Keep’em coming!

A bright night sky

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
29 May 2012
0

If you live in a city, you’re probably used to not experiencing full darkness after nightfall.  Lights from stores, streetlamps, and nearby apartments are constantly glowing all through the dark hours.  You may even think that it’s normal to barely be able to make out any stars.  It’s certainly the case in Los Angeles, where I first truly noticed this phenomenon.

I remember my first year at UCLA, when I would be walking around campus at night marveling at the sky glowing a strange milky white or orange.  I thought back to the places I had lived on the east coast and Midwest and all I could remember was darkness lit by stars, the moon, and some fireflies.  But here in the middle of Los Angeles, I saw none of that.  The marine would roll in some days and completely obscure the sky.  Other days, the sky would look like it was stuck in a perpetual state of dusk.

For awhile I wondered if I just didn’t remember how the sky looked at night in those other places.  Or maybe LA was just weird and didn’t get a “proper” night sky.  Then I went back to Beijing for the first time in years and found the same thing.  So many lights around you that you never really see past them, into the dark expanse of the universe.  One of my aunts was actually amazed when she came to visit us and you could actually see the stars at night.  Do city people live out their lives hardly ever seeing a truly dark night sky?

The world has changed so much as humans took over.  I can imagine the immense darkness that used to blanket the earth at night.  You can still find that in remote areas, but so much of mankind has gotten used to artificial lighting almost all day long.  That kind of darkness can be lonely, scary even.  I got a reminder of that tonight as I was working on my computer – before I knew it, the sun had set and I was cocooned in a dark house with just the eerie glow of my computer.  When I looked up, I felt small and isolated.  Without the light from my laptop, I would be engulfed by the night, and that felt so odd!

While I really appreciate artificial lighting, sometimes I wish it was easier to look up at the sky and see a vast landscape of stars.  Maybe if we were more used to darkness, it wouldn’t be so scary.

DeckMyPhone.com!

laelene Posted in general blog，
24 May 2012
0

deckmyphone.com storefront screenshotYippee, it’s finally here!  After a couple of setbacks trying to get the ecommerce store set up, DeckMyPhone.com is officially open for business.  I’m selling iPhone 4 & 4S covers to start, but if things work out there will be all sorts of products added to our lineup.  I’ve set up Facebook and Twitter accounts (like & follow me!) to get the ball rolling and I’m excited to start getting some business!  I’ll be doing some promotion via friends over the next couple of days and then I’ll work on reaching out across the web, doing SEO and SEM.

If you or anyone you know has an iPhone 4, please check it out and spread the word.  I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on these phone covers, which is why I decided to start selling them in the first place.  🙂

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